Leila - U&I

This album is a stunner and a bit of a departure for Leila. Stemming from a mutual affection between Berlin-dwelling cult electro boy Mount Sims and herself, this album came to fruition over the last couple of years by means of two home visits and subsequent acapellas wired via dropbox files, one vocal laid down by Matthew whilst Leila was watching countdown! She's always been a home-girl, the cosy DIY intimacy of her début still almost tactile beneath the cyber onslaught of this remarkable album. Between interludes of ponderous digital reflection you'll find yourself in proper wild storms of zinging European electro futurism, crawling through tunnels of mind-munching glitch-tech or being chased by crazed digital electro snakes. 'Welcome to your Life' is a blistering anthem with a giddy mid-range zigzag punch and a galloping metallic electro beat, the dreamy android vocals gliding effortlessly above. I like it even more as the moron at the Guardian who reviewed this just doesn't understand Leila Arab's playful vision of electronica. This is her album for the computer age but is infused with lashings of humour and dark mischief. I think you've got to be at least a little familiar with the Berlin electro scene and some of the more out-there stuff that's come out on Gigolo and its many affiliates over the last decade to comfortably immerse yourself in this project. It's just Leila's interpretation of a brittle and exciting sonic movement and whilst at times it can be slightly alarming and abrasive, there is some real soul and passion threaded throughout this album. Retro electroclash it certainly isn't, I'm curious about other peoples thoughts on this as I've heard it 7-8 times now and it just gets better and better....